At The End
by x-butterflykisses-x
Summary: "The pilot was content to sit like this, limbs entwined and souls all but touching, shipwrecked in the middle of a vast, infinite ocean. Alone but inextricably bound together. " The Breach is closed and Raleigh and Mako are cast adrift, now the world is saved, what are they left with at the end but each other?


"Oh you crawled out of the sea

Straight into my arms,

Straight into my arms."

Laura Marling - Crawled Out Of The Sea (Interlude)

* * *

Fingers grappled with his closely cropped hair, nails raking across his scalp, as hot breath beat against the exposed skin of his face and for a second Raleigh couldn't breathe.

_Mako._

Pulling away from the younger woman Raleigh attempted a joke, and to his immense pleasure a throaty chuckle was coaxed out from between her lips. Relief flooded his co-pilot's brown eyes, making short work of her exhaustion and vanquishing what remained of her tears.

For what seemed like hours the two sat staring at each other, balancing precariously on Raleigh's escaped pod, the two bobbing on an empty ocean, cut adrift from everyone and everything. The insistent voices in their ears pushed to the background - the entire world had been muted. For the time being nothing mattered but the two of them.

Entirely lost in those long minutes Raleigh's thoughts were blissfully blank, the feeling of sheer elation that was currently lancing through his body and blossoming across his torso was too strong. They had done it. They had closed the Rift, all but destroyed the Kaiju and saved the whole fucking planet.

Mako's arms were still draped across his body, their foreheads pressed together as they leant against one another. Raleigh and Mako's hearts were beating in unison as the two took slow steady breaths, their chests rising and falling together. An unbreakable partnership had been forged in the cockpit of a jaeger and tempered in the heat of battle. The tremor of something more flitted through Raleigh's consciousness but for now he was willing to let it slide. They had piloted a jaeger together, saved the world and shared their most intimate of memories – he didn't need it to become any more complicated than it already was. Mako had been in his head, and he in hers. She had felt Yancy ripped from his consciousness, just as he had felt her whole world collapse around her, only to be pulled from the wreckage by a man in an iron suit – her knight in Kaiju blue stained armour.

"They're coming for us." Mako whispered as the thunderous sound of several choppers filled the air. The empty horizon suddenly full of aircraft and the radio chatter in their ears continued to grow louder.

"Took their time." Raleigh replied, slumping further against Mako, exhaustion fast creeping up on him.

"We are in the middle of the Pacific…" Mako reminded her friend softly, but Raleigh failed to respond. The weight against her body suddenly a dead one, frowning the ranger looked down, Raleigh had slipped into unconsciousness, his body finally shutting down after the immeasurable strain he had put it through. Mako placed her lips against Raleigh's temple as her free hand gently stroked the top of his head. She could feel his breath tickling her neck and for a moment Mako wished the choppers had taken longer to find them. The pilot was content to sit like this, limbs entwined and souls all but touching, shipwrecked in the middle of a vast, infinite ocean. Alone but inextricably bound together.

* * *

The infirmary was sparsely decorated and the smell of disinfectant seemed to permeate its very walls. Hard, clinical lines and white sheets surrounded them. Mako sighed. She sat folded into a chair adjacent to Raleigh's bed. She had refused to leave his side despite the numerous calls for an interview from the world's press. No matter how many demanded she actually get a decent night's sleep or sit down to a meal that wasn't off a tray Mako refused to budge. Her fingers were knotted with Raleigh's as she observed the rise and fall of his chest.

Mako could still feel Raleigh in her head, certain memories that had no place with her own would skit across her consciousness before disappearing from whence they had come. Squeezing against her co-pilot's hand Mako willed him to open his eyes. Despite the psychic imprint Raleigh had left on her brain Mako still missed him, the vibrant blue of his eyes, or the smile that was so often tugging at his lips. Glancing over her shoulder Mako checked to see if the coast was clear, fortunately for her Marshall Hansen had made sure the corridor was locked down, but you could never be too careful.

Gently teasing her hand free of Raleigh's, Mako shuffled onto the side of his bed careful to avoid the wires and various bits of medical equipment. Left arm sandwiched between Raleigh's pillow and the ranger's head Mako quietly observed her co-pilot, taking comfort in the steady movement of his chest. Raleigh was undeniably handsome and Mako had been guilty of spending an inordinate amount of time staring at his naked torso but what she felt for the ranger wasn't a misplaced sense of attraction. Ever so gently Mako inched her right arm across Raleigh's stomach, the warmth of his body going some way to comfort her as she leant in closer to him.

The bond between the two of them ran deep, even if they hadn't Drifted together the sheer amount of time they had spent together, the undeniable connection they shared ever since Mako had greeted Raleigh on the rain soaked deck of the Shatterdome was enough to force home their link. Saving the world had only cemented what they'd known from the moment Mako had put Raleigh on his back in the training room.

Raleigh suddenly stirred, a deep groan rumbling through his chest just as his eyes cracked open.

"You're awake!" Mako exclaimed, a wide smile gracing her features. Brown eyes alight with several emotions as she took in the groggy ranger.

"How long?" Raleigh rasped prompting Mako to reach for the jug of water.

"A few days."

"No more Kaiju attacks?"

"None." Mako confirmed, her smile widening further if that were possible. Helping Raleigh into a more comfortable position she handed a plastic cup of water to the jaeger pilot.

"So, we saved the world?"

"We kind of did."

Putting the now depleted cup back onto the bedside table Mako leant into Raleigh's chest, her fingers dancing across the blond's torso. Closing her eyes Mako heard her co-pilots steady heartbeat and for a second the rest of the world disappeared.

"Thank you Raleigh," the pilot finally whispered, her voice cracking as her fingers suddenly gripped the front of the ranger's hospital gown.

"For what?" Raleigh replied, perplexed.

"For stopping me from chasing the rabbit," Mako whispered. "For helping me."

"You're my partner Mako, I'm always going to help you."

The woman nodded. _Partner. _She knew what Raleigh meant, he was referring to the practical relationship they had. They copiloted a jaeger and shared the mental burden because it was too great for one person alone. It would be irresponsible to let your partner's mental health go unchecked, not when there was so much at stake. But sharing memories was a side effect of that symbiosis and it was always going to involve deep-seated feelings, emotions were messy after all. But when it was so hard to tell where she ended and Raleigh began Mako struggled to define how she felt. Was she confusing overfamiliarity with love? Was she supposed to expect sweaty palms and an erratic heartbeat? The majority of jaeger partnerships she had studied had been between siblings or other pairs with familial ties. There was already a natural affinity there, a preexisting relationship that could be built upon. But with two strangers the lines were quickly blurred, where did they stand? Mako bit back a sigh.

"What's wrong?" Raleigh questioned. "I know I nearly died, and without me the world would really suck for you. But seriously, you're allowed to be happy right now."

Mako frowned, a delicate line appearing across her forehead, her eyes clouding – Raleigh was right, she ought to be happy.

Breathing in her co-pilot's sent Mako tried to gather her thoughts.

"With the Drift words almost become unnecessary but I think it means something to still use them."

The blond nodded, "I agree."

Mako bit her lip, "I…"

Raleigh waited patiently, his hand creeping out to take Mako's; this thumb rubbing gentle circles across her skin.

"But they also say actions speak louder than words," Mako mused softly.

"Right..." Raleigh nodded, using his elbows to push himself into a sitting position.

Mako's gaze suddenly raked upwards, her brown eyes meeting Raleigh's blue and it was as if a current rippled between them. They both knew in that exact moment what the other meant, what the other needed.

Lips were hurriedly pressed together, as bodies crashed together. Raleigh's hands snaked around Mako's waist pulling her closer still. Their warm breath was exchanged as the both tried to gain purchased of the other. Mako could feel Raleigh's lips respond beneath hers, the kiss deepening as she fought to be as close to her co-pilot as possible. Raleigh's fingers dug almost painfully into Mako's flesh but she welcomed the sensation, every touch they shared sent shivers through her body.

For the time being Mako didn't have to try and decipher the multitude of emotions that were coursing through her. Raleigh's desires were in sync with her own, the burning sensation in Mako's chest growing with the realization they both wanted exactly the same thing, at exactly the same moment. It might not have been love, but it was exactly what they both needed.

* * *

**A/N:** Maybe I needed to have the Hollywood kiss but I hope I managed to explore some of the many emotions that you'd be feeling if you were in this sort of situation.

I hope you enjoyed this and let me know what you think!


End file.
